Orange Sherbet
by Madam Sakamoto
Summary: All she'd wanted to do was give him his present and then run for the hills. But it seems that he has different plans for their birthday. -Joey/OC-


_Given that Joey and I share a birth date, I figured I was entitled to a little fluffy romance. So yes, this is a present to myself. XD_

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><p>Mizuki was shivering as she sat on the fenced-in roof of her school, clutching her thermos to her chest in an attempt to keep warm. Mid-January weather was a pain, even here, and she'd always struggled with keeping warm. Inside was heated, of course, but it was also crowded and stuffy, and she detested fighting the crowd for a seat in the cafeteria. So, the roof it was.<p>

Sure, if she'd asked, she knew she would be welcome to sit with Yugi and his friends, but… Her cheeks went a touch more pink and it had nothing to do with the cold. Today was her birthday, and it just so happened to coincide _perfectly _with someone else's.

Mizuki jumped slightly as the bell rang, and she quickly packed away her things and headed back into the school. As she reached her locker, she started to pull off her coat and hoped no one noticed. She'd already gotten into trouble twice for people thinking she'd left the school premises for lunch without permission. But a voice off to her right spoke just then, and her worries about being reported drifted off.

"Hey, Happy Birthday, Mizuki!"

Green eyes blinked and then flicked sideways until they met blue. Not that she really needed any more conformation of who'd greeted her besides his accent, but she was rather fond of his eyes. "You too, Joey."

He grinned at their inside joke, having teased her the first time she stammered back that exact same reply before he realized it was true. "Been up on the roof again?"

She nodded once, managing to stuff her coat into her locker and extract the flat box that housed Joey's present at the same time.

"You know you can always just come sit with us, right? There's always a seat available for you, if you want it."

Mizuki gave him the brightest smile she could muster, handed him the box, and uttered her usual reply to his invitation. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." And before he could reply, she closed her locker and dashed off to her next class.

How was she supposed to explain that she was flattered by his continued offers, but she couldn't stay in his presence for more than a couple minutes before she started blushing up a storm? Joey was affectionate by nature, always had been, and while Mizuki loved the hugs he would randomly bestow upon her, she couldn't help but wonder why he did it. There were plenty of other people around he could hug and touch and show affection towards, but he never did. So why, for the love of _Ra_, did he pick her to cuddle?

And that word alone brought another warm tinge to her face as she sat down at her desk and tried not to make eye-contact with anyone. All the people she'd dared to ask had told her the same thing. It was just in Joey's nature.

But as the classroom door opened and Joey slipped in and over to the seat beside her, Mizuki wished it wasn't.

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><p>Mizuki felt a slight swell of pride when she saw Joey leaving school that day with the scarf she'd knitted him wrapped securely around his neck. That pride merely grew when she heard Duke say loudly -probably just so she would hear- that he wouldn't mind one for <em>his<em> birthday.

Joey and Tristan laughed and told him there was fat chance of that, and then Joey paused at the gate, frowning down at his shoe. He waved his two friends on while he saw to his laces, and Mizuki tried to slip past him before he looked up.

"Hey, Mizuki, wait up."

She froze, one foot still hanging comically in mid-air as she heard Joey grow closer.

"You never gave me a chance to say thanks." He said softly, one hand landing lightly on her back and instantly shooting warmth through her. "And I wanted to get you something too, but today sorta snuck up on me, ya' know?" He moved to stand in front of her, that lopsided grin of his in place. "So, I know this sounds silly, but, do you wanna go get some ice-cream?"

Mizuki managed a soft giggle, lifting her eyebrows at him. "Joey, it's _January_!"

"Yeah, I know, but there's this really great place that just opened." His grin softened into a fond smile, and Mizuki had to fight the urge to blush again. "Sides, I know how much you like it."

Mizuki's brain went momentarily out-of-order after that sentence, and she fought to regain control of her facilities. "Oh alright." She muttered at last. "But only because it's our birthday."

He grinned again; chin jutting out just a touch with pride at his success. "You won't regret it!"

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><p>The ice-cream shop in question, Mizuki realized far too late, was actually a tiny café… The kind couples went to on Valentine's Day so they could kiss openly without being judged.<p>

Thankfully for Mizuki's sanity, however, this far from the pink-and-red-drenched holiday, the café looked relatively normal. She used the word _relatively_ because here and there were a few dots of pink and red, as though the café owners were trying to slowly break the news to their costumers that Single's Awareness Day was arriving soon.

A call from behind the counter grabbed Mizuki's attention, and she looked up to see Serenity waving to her. "Hey! Happy Birthday you two!"

Something inside Mizuki seemed to lighten at the sight of Joey's sister, and she honestly couldn't place the reason behind it. "Hey! Shouldn't you be in school?"

Joey scoffed, following Mizuki up to the counter so that they could order. "She _should_ be…"

Serenity stuck her tongue out at her brother. "Hey now, I have to pay you back for that surgery somehow, don't I?"

Joey rolled his eyes. "I told you already, you don't need to pay me back…" He trailed off, looking at his shoes. "It's my job to look out for you…"

Mizuki smiled at him and put a hand lightly on his arm. "Anyway, _Big Brother _here promised to treat me to ice-cream, since it's my birthday, so feel free to charge him the full fee, Serenity."

Joey sputtered something about conspirators as Mizuki walked along the outside of the counter, looking at her different options for ice-cream. She grinned as she saw one tub at the far end, marked with her favorite flavor.

"I'd like the Orange Sherbet, Serenity, thanks."

The brunette gave her a big smile and dished it up, turning to look at her brother seconds later. He continued to grumble softly to himself, but calmed down once he spied the Chocolate Chip Cookie-Dough that had been lurking in another corner of the display.

With their ice-creams in hand, Joey and Mizuki made their way over to a table near the back of the café, away from Serenity's prying eyes and ears.

"You'd think she was a hawk, with the way she hears things…" Joey muttered as he sat down across from Mizuki.

She laughed. "You're her brother, she's probably just curious what you're getting yourself into is all."

Joey huffed softly, jabbing his ice-cream savagely with his spoon. "If she really wanted to know, she could just ask."

"Would you really tell her, though?" Mizuki wasn't looking at him, instead giving her full attention to the soft pile of vibrant orange in front of her.

"Of course I would." He replied gently. "She's my sister; she has a right to know… It's just… I dunno," he huffed softly, "the things she wants to know are the things I don't have answers for."

Mizuki found her interest instantly piqued. "Things like what?"

He chuckled ruefully. "Mom, Dad, Love. Ya' know; the usual."

Mizuki winced softly, stirring her sherbet around thoughtfully. "Wow, I guess you really don't have the answers she needs then. And hey, I can't blame you."

"Well I could tell her how it feels to love someone, but not how it feels to be loved back… And I really hate giving her incomplete answers."

Mizuki's eyes flicked upwards, catching the hint of pink that had started to flood through his cheeks. "Are you talking about Mai? Because given the way she flirts with you, I think…" She stopped when she noticed his blush deepen. "Joey?" She prompted softly.

"It's… Well, it's not Mai." He said finally, not looking at her.

"Who is it then?" She asked readily, eager to help him be happy, even if it meant crushing her own dreams. After all, even though she might not understand his need to touch her, she'd never told him to stop.

"It's…" he cleared his throat and tried again, "it's this girl who goes to our school. She's really nice, but I dunno if she likes me back and… Well," he shrugged, "I don't wanna say anything if it just means I'll get hurt."

"Well, I know how that feels." Mizuki replied with a sad smile. "But, maybe the best thing is to just catch her off guard? Just tell her, and hope it goes okay…" She shook her head. "Then again, I'm hardly the…" She trailed off, noticing his eyes glued to her face. "What? Oh! Did I spill sherbet on my chin?" She raised a hand to check, her cheeks flooding red, but Joey caught her wrist.

"Here, lemme get it, or you might make it worse…"

She nodded once, averting her eyes, and trying not to notice the way he leaned into her over the table, leaving his seat as he came closer.

It wasn't until his lips gently collided with hers that she realized why he'd gotten so close.

Her eyes widened as he stayed like that for several heartbeats, lips soft and sticky and warm against hers, and the thumb of one hands just brushing over her jaw, as though in an attempt to wake her up and help her react. Which, belatedly, she did. Letting her eyes slip closed her nose brushed lightly over his cheek as she tilted her head slightly, letting him know it was alright, she was there, and she wasn't going to reject him.

Joey was the first to pull away, his thumb closely followed by his other fingers along her jaw as he brushed the hair from her eyes and smiled. "Well… I guess I can tell Serenity how it feels now."

She smiled brightly, catching his hand before he could pull it away completely. "I guess you can…"

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><p><em><em>Since I'm an <em>_American__ who lives in __America__ and watched the __American__ dub of this anime, there's none of the Jonouchi silliness going on.__

_Totally pointless birthday fluff. __That's why I wrote it. __So, Happy Birthday to Joey Wheeler and myself! __And before you ask, yes, I can actually knit. _^_^

_Reviews will be rewarded with ice-cream!_

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><p>Mizuki <em>belongs to: <em>Madam Sakamoto (_aka_ Me)

All other characters and locations _belong to:_ Kazuki Takahashi


End file.
